Umbrella rib tip protector



May 17, 1949. vALENTlNo 2,470,381

UMBRELLA RIB TIP PROTECTOR Filed Dec. 19, 1945 INVENTOR. R725 VZAf/VTl/YO,

Patented May 17, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICIE UMBRELLA RIB TIP PROTECTOR Peter Valentino, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application December 19, 1945, Serial No. 635,901

Claims. 1

This invention relates to protective means for the extremities or tips of the ribs of an umbrella, so that when an umbrella is carried in close proximity to other people the danger of doing damage to a persons eye or eyes will be prevented. It is well known that people, especially in crowds, frequently come into contact with the umbrella of a careless passer-by, and when such contact is made with the eye serious injury may result.

It is therefore one object of this invention to provide readily attachable and removable protective means over the tips of the umbrella ribs so as to cover them in such a way that if contact is made with a persons body, even with the eye, no serious injury can result.

Another object of the invention is the provision of protective members for the tips of umbrella ribs in substantially the form of a ball or sphere or the like, provided with novel and simple means whereby the protective members may be readily attached to or removed from the ribs.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such protective members which are simple in construction, effective in use, and inexpensive in cost of manufacture.

The above and other objects will become apparent in the following description, wherein characters of reference refer to like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawing. It is to be understood that the drawing is intended for the purpose of illustration only, and that it is neither desired nor intended to limit the invention necessarily to any or all of the specific details of construction shown excepting insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a view showing an opened umbrella provided with the protective members of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the umbrella, showing a single protective member in longitudinal section secured to the tip of one of the ribs of the umbrella.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view similar to Fig. 3 excepting that the cover section of the ball is removed.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral I0 indicates an umbrella whose ribs are shown at I I, the latter commonly having the shape of a channel and being provided on their extremities with small enlargements or tips l2. The tips l2 are small enough, as is well known, to do injury to the eye of a person upon contact with the tip.

The protective member or ball I3 is made in substantially the shape of a flattened sphere or ball, although such shape may be modified, if desired, and the ball may be made of any desired material such as, for instance, rubber, a phenol-resin or cellulose acetate or other plastic composition, wood, etc.

The ball comprises two sections it and I5, the former being substantially spherical in conformation and having a out OK portion leaving a flat surface or edge Iii. The section 15 constitutes a cap-like section of a sphere, having both opposed surfaces I1 and I8 flat and mutually parallel. Projecting male threads I9 are provided on an extension 2| of the cap I5 to register in complementary female threads 20 out into the section M, in the inner wall of a flange 22 of the section It. The shoulder 23 at the base of the flange 22 is flat, as is the lower surface or edge of the extension 2 l Aligned cut-outs are provided in the ball l4 and the cap l5, shown at 24 and 25, respectively, and the cap l5 has a reduced opening 26 thereinto of slightly greater diameter than the rib tip l2.

A disc 2'! is clamped between the members 14 and I5 when they are screwed together. This disc has a plurality of radial cut-outs 28 extending outward toward but not up to the peripheral edge of the disc, and it also has a central opening 29 therethrough. The diameter of this opening is smaller than that of the cap opening 2&2. This disc 21 may be made of a resilient material, such as steel, so that the radial tongues 30 formed by the slots 28 will be yieldable.

It is now apparent that an assembled protector or ball l0 may be readily applied to a rib tip 12 by passing the tip [2 through the opening 28 and through the disc opening 28; in passing through the latter the tongues 30 will first yield in a downward direction (Fig. 2) and then snap back, thereby releasably locking the tip I2 in the cut-out or compartment 24. In removing the ball I i], the reverse operation will take place. Thus, the balls Ill may be readily and quickly snapped on and off the rib tips l2. If the balls ID are made available on the market completely assembled, the desired number to cover all the tips of an umbrella may be purchased, and applied on the tips l2. When ole-- sired, they may be removed from the umbrella, and this would be especially useful when an umbrella has worn out and must be discarded, whence the balls may be applied to the newly purchased umbrella.

Obviously, modifications in form and structure 3 may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In an umbrella having ribs provided with enlarged tips, protective members adapted to be snapped on or ofi the enlarged tips, each of said members comprising a substantially spherical ball having a flattened Surface, said ball comprising two complementary sections, one of ,said sections having said flattened surface thereon, said sections having means for releasably interlocking the same, said sections having complementary cut-outs forming a single compartment within the ball, said one of said ssections :having a reduced central opening therethrough into said cut-out thereof of a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of said rib tip, ,a resilient disc clamped between said sections between said cutouts, said disc having .a central opening therethrough of smaller diameter than the diameter of said rib tip, said disc havinga plurality of radical slots extending from said central opening thereof toward the peripheraledge thereof there.- by providing a plurality of yieldable tongues adapted to yield to the passage of said rib tip through said central opening of said disc in either direction and to snap back .to their normal position coplanar with said -:disc :after passage of said rib tip therethrough.

2. A protective member for the tip of an umbrella rib having an enlarged tip comprising a substantially spherical member formed of two complementary sections aemovably interlocked, said member having a compartment therein "partly in each of said sections, a disc clamped between said sections and having a central opening therethrough of a smaller diameter than that of said rib tip, said disc having radial slots extending from said central opening thereof, one of said complementary sections having an opening therethrough into said compartment in axial alignment with the axis of said disc.

3. The protective member set forth in claim 2, said .one of said complementary sections having a fiattenedouter 'surfacesurrouniding said opening therethrough and coaxial with the axis of said last-named opening.

4. The protective member set forth in claim 2, means for 'removably interlocking said complementary sections comprising male screw threads on one of said sections and female screw threads on the other of said sections.

5. The protective member set forth in claim 2, said one of said sections having a thickness substantially smaller than the thickness of the other of said sections.

PETER VALENTINO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,212,949 Palmer Aug. 27 ,1940

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 227.225 Great Britain .Jan. 15, 1925 

